NFL Referees Association files unfair labor practice against NFL

New York, NY (Sports Network) - The NFL Referees Association has filed unfair
labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the
NFL.

After negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement between the two sides broke down earlier this month, the NFL announced that it will proceed immediately with the hiring and training of replacement officials.

The NFLRA says that the league sent out "inaccurate, false and incomplete
information" to the referees in two separate letters in the month of June.

"It is clear the league never intended to work toward a fair agreement, even
through mediation," NFLRA executive director Mike Arnold said in a press
release. "As previously noted, the NFL sent out notices regarding the
recruitment of replacement referees while we were actively negotiating under
the auspicious [sic] of a jointly agreed upon Federal Mediator. Now during a
lockout, the NFL is attempting to bypass NFLRA negotiators by distributing
inaccurate and misleading financial information to all the referees. We have
urged the Board to investigate this matter quickly and to seek appropriate
remedies against the NFL's unlawful bargaining practices."